Salvation is nothing less than the Sonship and Theosis (Divinization) of mankind. This is the message of St Irenaeus (130-202) (Aug 23), Bishop of Lugdunum. St Irenaeus is the third link in an unbroken chain of the grace of succession which links, in backward order, to Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, to the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, to the Original Pastor, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Thus, he received his schooling from the best.

Through the Incarnation of God, creation becomes co-imaged and co-bodied to the Son of God.

Saint Gregory of Tours credits the preaching of St Irenaeus (130-202) (Aug 23), Bishop of Lugdunum, for transforming all of Lugdunum (Lyons) into a Christian city.

By sharing in the ways of the Apostles,
you became a successor to their throne.
Through the practice of virtue, you found the way to divine contemplation, O inspired one of God;
by teaching the word of truth without error,
you defended the Faith, even to the shedding of your blood.
Hieromartyr Irenaeus, entreat Christ God to save our souls."

"Do not adorn the church and ignore your afflicted brother, for he is the most precious temple of all."

☦️ St John Chrysostom

“Beneath thy compassion, We take refuge, O Mother of God: do not despise our petitions in time of trouble, but rescue us from dangers, only pure one, only blessed one." —earliest known written prayer to the Theokotos, c. 250

"The simple step of a courageous individual is not to partake in the lie. One word of truth outweighs the world."

-Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

“O believers, come, let us go unto the tomb of the Mother of God and embrace it longingly, and with sincerity touch it with our lips and eyes and foreheads of our hearts, and we shall then obtain from that ever-welling fountain the divine gifts of healing that issue abundantly.” (Hymn from the Matins of the Feast)

O heavenly mother, Panagia, intercede for us!

Photo: St Savvas of Kalymnos Orthodox Church, Sydney, Australia

"And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not He. But behold, there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose.’ " Acts 13:25, from the Epistle reading for the Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John.

Several years ago something remarkable happened at a church shop in Georgia. An icon of St Gabriel began streaming myrrh abundantly. Many miraculous healings are reported by those who have come from around the world to be anointed with the myrrh.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HllwGcOaefE&fbclid

Have you seen a good Orthodox movie lately? The survival struggles of a Russian Orthodox mission through brutal Nazi occupation is told in a beautifully crafted movie, The Priest. (Russian with English subtitles)

https://youtu.be/zghBLMX972U?si=SqWDwukx3m4fL9Kc

September 1 marks the beginning of the Church Year, when, according to Holy Tradition, Christ entered the synagogue to proclaim (quoting Isaiah 61:1-2):

“The spirit of the Lord is upon me; because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to proclaim release to captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord...” (Luke 4:16-22)

Let us resolve this new year holy and acceptable to the Lord!

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

John 1:14☦️

Remembering Fr. Seraphim Rose (reposed Sept 2, 1982)

In high school, he was called “Eugene the Genius”. However, as Hieromonk Damascene notes, when he became Orthodox, he crucified his mind. “‘When I became a Christian, I crucified my mind, and all the sorrows that I have borne have only been a source of joy for me. I've lost nothing and gained everything.’”

“For years in my studies I was satisfied with being ‘above all traditions’ but somehow faithful to them... When I visited an Orthodox church, it was only in order to view another ‘tradition.’ However, when I entered an Orthodox church for the first time (a Russian church in San Francisco) something happened to me that I had not experienced in any Buddhist or other Eastern temple; something in my heart said that this was ‘home,’ that all my search was over. I didn’t really know what this meant, because the service was quite strange to me, and in a foreign language. I began to attend Orthodox services more frequently, gradually learning its language and customs…. With my exposure to Orthodoxy and to Orthodox people, a new idea began to enter my awareness: that Truth was not just an abstract idea, sought and known by the mind, but was something personal — even a Person — sought and loved by the heart. And that is how I met Christ.”

—Fr Seraphim Rose

“Lord, have mercy on me,” or “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me” is the breath of his soul, and like body cannot stand without air, the soul of a Christian should not be able to stand without - “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me.”

Archpriest Theodore Gignadze

What’s your occupation?

The Nativity of the Most Holy Virgin Mary (Sept 8/ Sept 21) is a day of universal joy, a day chosen before the ages by Divine Providence to bring about the Mystery of the Incarnation of the Word of God. She is revealed as the Mother of the Saviour of the World, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Mary full of grace, blessed among women, the temple of the Holy Spirit, altar of the living God, table of living bread, ark of God’s holy things, tree of the most delicious fruits, glory of the human race, praise of womanhood, fount of virginity and purity!

The Internet: Pray before using. We are “in the midst of many snares."